Abstract
In the era of rapid AI integration in education, educators increasingly compare their performance, recognition, and career prospects against AI-proficient peers. Drawing on Social Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954), we propose that more positive attitudes toward AI heighten exposure to AI-relevant comparison cues, eliciting AI-induced envy that can either impede or stimulate employee-driven innovation (EDI). We further argue that “leading with care” conditions an inclusive climate and paradoxical leadership strengthen the AI induced envy and EDI link by enabling psychologically safe learning, support, and fair-yet-individualized guidance. Using a three-wave survey (four-week lags) of 129 educators employed in the UAE, we test moderated mediation with PROCESS Model 14 (5,000 bootstrap samples). Results show that AI attitude positively predicts AI-induced envy, and that the indirect effect of AI attitude on EDI via AI induced-envy is stronger when inclusive climate or paradoxical leadership is higher. The study reframes envy as a potentially constructive signal when institutions lead with care, offering practical implications for educational leaders seeking to protect wellbeing while sustaining innovation.
Keywords: artificial intelligence; AI attitude; AI-induced envy; employee-driven innovation; inclusive climate; paradoxical leadership